This thread has to be the MOST disappointing read on this forum. Hell, I am going back over to the Round Table pizza thread!†

^ Yeah, you'd think the recipe would have been revealed by now!† I do think that maybe the shift needs to be made to try and uncover the Happy Joes sauce recipe.† I think that would be a great find as they have a VERY delicious sauce!† Share it if you've got it folks!!

Hi, I have been looking for the original Shakeys sauce recipe and came across this thread. I worked at the Shakey's in St. Louis Park Minnesota from Sept 1975 to sept 1976. I cooked pizzas in the kitchen, plus I was a prep cook in "Ye Old Skullery" I loved the pizza, and I really would like to be able to make it at home.I'll try to fill you all in on some details that I remember. For the sauce, I opened one gallon cans of Hunts tomato paste, and dumped them into the Hobart mixer, along with an equal amout of water. Then I added a bag of spice mix. The spice mix was labeled shakey's, they came 4 bags, about 2 pounds each in a big brown cardboard box. Fter mixing, it was dumped into a big plastic garbage can and had to sit in the cooler at least a day or 2 before using. We had 2 garbage cans and rotated. Only a few times that I can remember did we ever completely empty the cans and wash them out. On the dough, flour, water, and a bag of Shakey's dough mix went into the hobart with a dough hook. Maybe there was oil or shortening too, but I don't remember. If I recal corectly, we made the dough in the morning, put it into bus tubs on racks in the skin room. They raised all day, then got rolled out on the skin machine with lots of flour, cut with a cookie cuter into the 3 sizes (single, double, and family), stacked up with wax paper in between, and sat overnight in the cooler and used the next day.For the cheese, I took big bricks of fresh mozzerella that was very moist and stickey. I sliced them into long strips with a peice of piano wire. Then ground it in the grinder into a bus tub, and let it sit in the cooler uncovered for a day or two untill it was dry enough to use. Then I ground up fresh cheddar and also provalone which was hard and pretty dry and somewhat crumbly. The cheddar and provalone were ground into much smaller pieces than the mazzarrela, only about 1/16" holes on the grinder plate. The two were mixed together in a bus tub and put in the cooler, we called the mixture C&P.† We got ground parmezan ready to use from Kraft. We got the pepperoni and salami in sticks and I sliced them round in the slicer, it went into bus tubs in the cooler to dry. The canadian bacon came in big sticks that I sliced in half the long way before slicing the stick into the half round slices. We got johnsonville polish sausage and another sausage I think was called linguistica or something like that. It was orange, course and greasy. Both of those got laid sideways in the slicer and cut into long thing strips. The pork came in fresh, and I ground it, put it in a bus tub, mixed in a bag of spices labeled Shakeys sausage spice, and put it in the cooler to dry. The beef was received already ground, basically it was lean hamburger. I had to mix in a bag of shakeys beef seasoning and put it in a bus tub in the cooler. It was covered because it did not need to dry. I remember that it was very difficult to thoroughly mix the spices in, it took alot of work tearing and kneeding and rolling to get it all blended, and it was COLD on the hands.The peppers and onions came in fresh and whole and I sliced them in the slicer. Olives where canned and I drained them and sliced them. Mushrooms were received canned and sliced, just needed draining. Pimento's, anchovies, shrimp, and oysters came in small cans that were opened only when some one ordered that kind of pizza.

To build the pizza, we took a board and sprinkled corn meal on it, then a skin. Next we spread sauce ont the skin with a paintbrush. The sauce was pretty thick, not runny at all, and was spread to† the edge of the skin. Then the mozzarella was spread to within 1/2" of the edge of the skin, and C&P was sprinkled over it. Then the meat went on, in this order: salami, canadian bacon, polish, linguistica, pepperoni, sausage and beef. Then peppers and onions, mushrooms, olives, then pimentoe's, shrimp, oyster, anchovies, then sprinkled with parmeian cheese. If pinnaple was used, it was last and no parmesian was used. Of course not all these topping went on any one pizza, but whatever was going on, this was the order. then it was slid into the oven, onto the big rotating trays.

So you can see that there were alot of proprietary shakey's mixes. Each bag had an ingredients list on it, and I often thought about copying them down. But I had to sign a form when I started working there that said that I would not copy or take or divulge any recipes.

Sure wish I had some Shakey's pizza to eat tonight, typing all this has really made me hungry for it. One of my favorites was canadian bacon, polish sausage and beef. Man, that was GOOD! SOme of the popular combo's were the Shakey's special, the lefthanders special,† pepperoni and green pepper, beef and onion, the hawian special, and sausage and mushroom.

I hope this helps, now if someone could only tell us what was in the mix bags!

Okay, hereís my run at Shakeyís from the 70ís. I didnít work there, but Iíve never forgotten what the greatest pizza in the world tasted like and Iíve been chasing it ever since. I started with the Chef Boyardee kits when I was a kid (Iím 41 now) and been working toward recreating Shakeyís ever since. This recipe is the product of recommended experimentation, question-asking, Internet and other research, and just plain guessing over the course of about 30 years or so.

A little disclaimer here: Iím not a pro and nowhere near as advanced as a lot of you here. I see these percentages and stuff you talk about and itís all over my head. Youíll probably see some things in my method that makes you shake your head. If so, know that I welcome all pointers to a better pizza. That said, hereís my amateur attempt at ShakeyísÖ

This is for a regular oven and makes two pounds or two 16Ē pizzas. I use a bread machine to mix the dough and I load it in the above order. I put the sugar and salt in opposite corners of the bread can and I make a little impression in the flour mound to pour the yeast. I set the machine to the dough setting and let it run its course. After that, I remove the dough, separate it into two equal portions, and put each ball in its own mixing bowl. I pre-coat the bowls with a light spray of Pam olive oil, then cover each one with plastic cling wrap, and let them set on the counter at room temperature for at least 24 hours, but not more than 36 hours. In fact, if I donít use it within a few hours after the 24 hour mark, Iíll go ahead and store it in the refrigerator.

When Iím ready to cook, Iíll pre-heat my oven to about 550 degrees (the knob is only marked at 500 and I set it between that and broil). I sprinkle some flour out on a clean counter, lay out a ball, and roll it out as thin as I want, adding enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the roller or counter. I usually have plenty hanging over the pan to use for other stuff, like bread twists or whatever. I grease my cutter pan with a little bit of Pam and sprinkle some corn meal on it, distributing the meal buy bumping the edge of the pan with my hand. Iíll usually toss the pan in the oven then while I get the other ball rolled out.

After about 4-5 minutes, I take the pan out and lay the first sheet (skin?) on it, press it in with my hands, lightly dock it with a fork, and trim excess with my roller. For the docking, I give the pan a descent spin and poke around for about three full turns. I then set it aside for 20-30 minutes and get the other one ready. I put each one back in the oven after this time for just a couple of minutes, but I do not allow the crust to change colors or bubble up. It should be pulled out just as it tries to bubble or a split second before. Thereís no science to it, just a feeling.

When the first pan is ready, I brush on the sauce with a big BBQ brush nearly to the edge, sprinkle Kraft mozzarella by hand, making sure I can still see scattered red, and lay on my toppings.

Hereís the sauce and it must be made at least a week in advance, tightly covered, and stored in the refrigerator Ė a couple of weeks ahead is even better:

This is just enough to make a thin film on the skins. You can double the amount for a little more sauce and still have some left over to use as a starter for a new batch. This is handy to have if youíre making pizzas, but didnít get your sauce made far enough in advance. Just make the above recipe fresh (or as far in advance as the time you have allows) then mix it with the starter and store as above. Make sure you liquefy the tomatoes in a blender before mixing them with the other stuff. Also, the bell pepper, onion, and garlic must be as finely chopped as you can get it. Iíve got this little hand-chopper thing and I try to chop it all fine enough to make a bread spread. The thyme and oregano are store shelf spices, not fresh, and I pour them out on a cutting board and mash them with the back of a spoon before adding it to the sauce. I know theyíre ready to go in when I can smell them pretty strong just standing over the board. I cook the whole thing for about 30 minutes over heat low enough that the sauce never boils. After that, cool it, store it in Tupperware with a good lid, and stick it in the fridge. Youíll see it again in a week or two.

After you build your pizza (that ovenís been at 550 degrees now for 30 to 45 minutes), toss one in on the middle rack for about 10 minutes or so. About halfway through, Iíll crack the oven and turn it some. I watch it close, though, because the cooking cycle goes like this: Not Ready > Not Ready > Not Ready > Almost Perfect > Perfect > Completely Ruined. I let it cool for a few minutes, then slide the whole thing off on the re-cleaned counter, cut it, and go to work Ė all the while getting the other one ready and cooked, too. It'll be pretty crisp with some bubbles in it and a strong flavor. The sauce is pretty good, too, and sets the whole thing off. This is a home-baked pizza, so I can lay it on the counter if I want to. If I had two more cool pans, I would probably slide them off on those.

This is as close as I can get considering Iím a non-trained, non-precision amateur. Sorry about the long post.

I just compared what I have to the one on the main site and it's pretty close actually. The dough's a little different, but the sauce isn't too far off. It all probably got passed around and changed a little. I can certainly vouch for the sauce and I'll have to try the things that are different from what I have.

I made some changes this weekend to the recipe I've been using above. I added a tablespoon of honey to the dough recipe and lightly brushed it with a butter and garlic powder sauce (1/3 c butter, 1/4 tsp garlic powder). I added this after placing the skin in the oven for a short time without anything on it as described above.

The sauce gets pretty thin after it's been liquified, so I added plain Contadina tomato paste a little at a time until it thickened up some. It ended up being around 2-3 oz of paste.

It still doesn't exactly nail Shakey's, but it's pretty good and probably as close as I'll be able to come under the circumstances.

I have been monitoring this topic for a while now, and I have yet to try some of the recipes that have been posted. I think I will in the next couple of weeks. I too worked at Shakey's when I was in high school, back in the late 70s, and I too am looking for something similar.

For those on the west coast that are looking for a Shakey's, you can go to Abby's Legendary Pizza (w3 dot abbys dot com (I can't post the link for ease of use)) in Oregon (just about any city). They have 31 locations in Oregon, and 3 in E. Wash. The pizza is very similar, even down to the parlor itself. You can even watch them make the pizza at the window! The crust (thin) and the sauce are both reminiscent of the old Shakey's.

There isn't one close to me, but when I get the hankerin', I make my way to Newberg (about 1/2 hour away) and have a great slice of memory (and good pizza, too).

Ironically, the location you speak of is 10 minutes from where I live and I am the author of this thread! Anyway, the bad news: The Coralville Shakey's closed a few years ago and is now an "Old Chicago" pizza restaurant.

Wow, I just discovered this forum today (home with a sick kid) and have been enjoying all the information here - I just wanted to say that I am about 5 minutes from there so small world huh! I also know someone who worked there years ago, I'll see if I can get any useful information to add to this thread! In the meantime, I'm going to work on perfecting my cracker crust!

I was living in Tokyo last year, and there were Shakey's Pizzas all over the place. It's quite common in Japan it seems. I don't know how it compares though.

There are a lot of odd US chains that moved to Japan and became popular, and died off back in the US. Like the Lawson convenience store (EVERYWHERE in Japan), Mr. Donut (used to be a US company, now only in Japan), etc.

Here's a snippet of what they say:"Shakey's USA brand sees record sales, franchise expansion2008 marks a milestone year for Shakey's USA. The veteran 54-year old chain began a system-wide revitalization effort last year marking an end to economic obstacles in recent years. Newly appointed CEO Joe Remsa helms this new era of growth as all corporate locations undergo complete remodels, four new area development agreements have been signed and the chain expands to the south with the first new Shakey's restaurant east of California in nearly 40 years."

Okay, hereís my run at Shakeyís from the 70ís. I didnít work there, but Iíve never forgotten what the greatest pizza in the world tasted like and Iíve been chasing it ever since. I started with the Chef Boyardee kits when I was a kid (Iím 41 now) and been working toward recreating Shakeyís ever since. This recipe is the product of recommended experimentation, question-asking, Internet and other research, and just plain guessing over the course of about 30 years or so.[snip]This is for a regular oven and makes two pounds or two 16Ē pizzas. I use a bread machine to mix the dough and I load it in the above order. I put the sugar and salt in opposite corners of the bread can and I make a little impression in the flour mound to pour the yeast. I set the machine to the dough setting and let it run its course. After that, I remove the dough, separate it into two equal portions, and put each ball in its own mixing bowl. I pre-coat the bowls with a light spray of Pam olive oil, then cover each one with plastic cling wrap, and let them set on the counter at room temperature for at least 24 hours, but not more than 36 hours. In fact, if I donít use it within a few hours after the 24 hour mark, Iíll go ahead and store it in the refrigerator.

I am having difficulty picturing Shakey's using wine in their sauce for the very simple reason that it would have had to have been held under lock-and-key given the number of underage teen-agers that typically work at a Shakey's.

Would it be possible that it was wine vinegar, perhaps to temper the sweetness of the sauce?

This is something I've been meaning to bring up for a while. I remember watching somebody on tv make a marinara sauce, and they stated very confidently that until you add alcohol to a tomato sauce that you would never get all the flavors from the tomatoes. The explanation was chemical in nature I believe. Can anyone shed some light on this? thanks -marc

Many times garlic and onion are sauteed to tenderize & smooth the flavor, the pan is then deglazed with a cooking wine to loosen it from the pan before adding the tomatoes. Sbarros does this with their sauce.

I have been to shakey's in Janesville, WI & had happy joes for dinner tonight. Both are similar. I would love to have their sauce & dough recipe. I am guessing their dough is rolled in cornmeal & then thrown into a very oily pan from what I can tell.

Since happy joes are more common now then Shakey's I agree you would probably have a better chance of finding out Happy Joes sauce recipe.

I am having difficulty picturing Shakey's using wine in their sauce for the very simple reason that it would have had to have been held under lock-and-key given the number of underage teen-agers that typically work at a Shakey's.

Would it be possible that it was wine vinegar, perhaps to temper the sweetness of the sauce?

-ME

I worked at a Shakey's in Maryland around 1985. There were 2 in the Washington DC area.

I remember using tomato Sauce and paste, oregano, some kind of seasoning in a white packet and Sugar. But we never used wine in the sauce.

Few things from childhood bring back fonder memories than the very notion of Shakey's Pizza. It's one thing as a child to go to McDonald's and another to know you're going to Shakey's for dinner. The only thing that even comes close is Lums which went out of business more than a decade ago, but doesn't register on the richter quite the way Shakey's did. My problem is that I can't remember what it tasted like. I KNOW it was good, but Shakey's was long before Pizza Hut went national, long before Dominoes, Papa John's and all the others. We had a few Pizzerias near us in the early 70's, but NONE compared to shakeys. Unique is the word.

It's a shame what happened to the chain, but I sure do hope they come back. I'd love to buy a franchise and put a few in my area. Talk about a memory!

I know what you are saying. I think the last Shakey's pizza I had was in West Allis, WI in the late 1970's. There were a few Shakey's restaurants still around in the Kansas City area when my family arrived in 1978, including one not far from our house, but they all closed by around 1980-1981. The couple of times my dad ordered a pizza from that Shakey's, I distinctly remember it being crap.

When I stumbled onto this site, I was hoping to find a receipe for the original Shakey's receipe from the early 60s. I was also surprised that many others are on the same quest. I remember Shakeys opened in Albany, OR in about 1960 and was the 2nd one in OR, the 1st being in Portland. The franchise was owned by Jim&Isabel Covalt and they had about 3 in the area. I still have a menu from the 60s and "7 kinds of imported cheeses" was mentioned. Also, the largest most expensive combo could be had for about $5. It seems like the receipe changed sometime in the late 60s (probably for economic reasons) and lacked the original zing. I also remember dime beer night, which didn't last too long. At some point in the 70s, Isabel Covalt did not renew the Shakeys franchise and started the "Izzys" chain, which started out being similar to Shakeys, serving pizza, chicken, and salad. Eventually, so many things were added to the menu that they have lost their identity and niche (my opinion). Anyway, I am stilll on the trail of the original receipe. It seems like the company would consider re-introducing it or share it with the public.